Exploration of the Night Sky: From Madison to Alger

Our ancestors were
adept at decoding the sky to learn their position on the surface of the planet,
to tell the passage of time, and to learn when winter was approaching.

Today,
astrophysics is an academic enterprise in which we have learned our Universe is
filled with billions of galaxies, each of which can have more than billions of
stars. We are now learning that planets around these stars are common. Is the
discovery of life next? Join us for a special presentation at the John C. Wells
Planetarium to learn more about these discoveries, to learn more about how our
night-time sky has changed since the time of Madison, and to learn how you can
use the constellations to find your way around the night sky.

We will also
briefly discuss the current robotic exploration of the Solar System and what we
are learning as a result.